All Amy Lee Serradell needs are her hands, two stock pots, and a double burner hot plate to turn out some of the prettiest hand-dyed yarn. Amy is the beautiful mind and artist behind Canon Hand Dyes. Now based in Portland, Canon Hand Dyes started in 2011, in the kitchen of Amy’s San Francisco home.

Canon Hand Dyes specializes in self-striping yarn and collections with a literary twist. I used to stare at Amy’s self-striping yarn in awe trying to figure out how she dyes it. After many YouTube videos I finally got an inkling of how self-striping yarn is created and it’s a labor of love. The colorways that Amy conjures are vivacious and full of life, just like the names she pairs her colorways with. The inspiration for the names and Amy’s work comes from a lifelong love of literature―for William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, and Jane Austen. A fan favorite, is the oh so special Charles Sock collection, with colors inspired by the vibrant characters of the popular show, Downton Abbey.

Charles Sock is a soft and springy fingering weight yarn in brilliant gradients and variegations of color. This yarn, along with the spirited colors, will get your creativity flowing and might possibly transport you right into Downton Abbey with all the brilliant characters.